Reviews

A Healing Love Story

I had been waiting for Soul Mate for over a year, and honestly, it was 100% worth the wait.
At first, I thought this would be a BL series, but it feels more like a bromance although there’s clearly something much deeper between them. And honestly, that’s what makes the story feel so real and emotional.
What makes Soul Mate so beautiful is that it doesn’t only focus on the relationship between the two men. The series also gives attention to the people around them and their own struggles. One of the most emotional parts for me was the woman’s story — dealing with the loss of her husband while also becoming a mother. Her storyline added so much depth and showed that everyone in the story is trying to heal in their own way.
The series explores loneliness, trauma, healing, and real-life struggles in such a natural way. At first, the two main characters seem completely different, but as the story continues, you realize they were always connected. In the end, it becomes clear that he had always liked him all along, which made their bond feel even more emotional because they truly are soulmates.
The chemistry, cinematography, and emotional atmosphere make this series unforgettable. If you love slow-burn emotional stories with deep connections and healing themes, Soul Mate is definitely worth watching.

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full-on, balls-to-the-walls wuxia fantasy

Some titles evoke worlds of wonder, others are dull and inspire confusion, but The Battle Wizard brings about very specific expectations of a magically adept sorcerer casting furious spells. What you ultimately end up with is giant snakes and fighting monkeys mixed with a claw-hand firing neanderthal and laser beams. A full-on, balls-to-the-walls wuxia fantasy, thanks largely to its lightning pace, crazy costumes and vicious bloodshed. Directed by Pao Hsueh-Li, the film delivers an avalanche of bizarre imagery and a candy-coloured explosion of artificiality. The pacing is chaotic, characters appear and vanish abruptly, while emotional stakes often get buried beneath the aesthetics of a psychedelic fairy tale that barely pauses long enough to make any form of sense. The rather inventive choreography mixes martial arts with supernatural gimmicks that constantly escalate the insanity. One duel might involve acrobatics and elegant staff fighting; the next involves a villain firing invisible force waves, while another summons venomous creatures. It never settles into repetition because the film keeps trying to outdo itself. Undoubtedly uneven and featuring some extremely questionable choices in its execution, nearly everything about The Battle Wizard feels like a nightmarish fever dream, where imagination is the name of the game and lunatic energy rules the day, embracing its own excess with contagious enthusiasm.

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Wow! What’s not to like about this clever plot line

If you’re looking for a story with sizzling chemistry, great acting, surprising redemption arcs and a very clever plot line then this could be one for you.

The opening scene shows a stunt man, Joe as he plummets into a ravine during a motorbike stunt gone. The next scene shows him waking up in hospital next to a woman who claims to be his mother who’s calling out his name. The following few chapters, mainly through a series of flash backs and snippets from the present day, explain the events that led to the opening scene as well as Joe dealing with this new version of himself two years later. We are introduced to Ming, his wealthy boyfriend, Tong, Ming’s morally bankrupt brother in law, Wut, Joe’s father figure and agency owner and Sol, a young man from the same agency.

It’s obvious from the get go that things between Joe and Ming are not what they initially seem to be. Ming turns into an *sshole of epic proportions and Joe is caught up in a battle he clearly cannot win and which ultimately leads to his death. Fast forward to 2 years after the accident and it’s clear that Joe’s death has had a profound effect on those closest to him but will Ming pull him in again and will history repeat itself?

I loved Joe2’s mum. An absolutely gorgeous woman with a heart big enough to melt an iceberg. Strangely though the actor’s not in the cast list on this platform but I would love to see what else she’s been in.

I’ve barely seen such a clever plot line so kudos to the writers. The production values are great with the exception of the inside of Ming’s family home which is highly conservative with an almost black, panelled interior and at total odds with the ultra modern, glass walled exterior (which appears in Love in the Sky as well as several others).

Would I watch this again? You betcha I would!

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Love You Teacher Is Emotional, Warm, and Easily PerthSanta’s Best Work Yet

Love You Teacher was honestly one of my most anticipated Thai BL dramas of 2026, mainly because I completely fell for the pairing of Perth Tanapon and Santa Pongsapak in Perfect 10 Liners. From the moment the mock trailer appeared during GMMTV’s 2025 lineup reveal, I already had a feeling this pairing would work beautifully in a full-length series. When the official trailer finally dropped, my excitement only doubled. Thankfully, the actual series more than lived up to the hype. This is genuinely PerthSanta’s best project so far.

Produced by GMMTV and Parbdee Taweesuk, Love You Teacher mixes romance, school-life comedy, emotional drama, and caregiving themes into something that feels surprisingly fresh and emotionally layered. The story follows Pobmek, an elementary school teacher who does not really enjoy dealing with children, and his boyfriend Solar, a naturally gentle and caring teacher loved by everyone around him. Their relationship is already established from the start, which immediately makes the series feel different from the usual BL setup.

Everything changes after Solar experiences a traumatic accident that causes neurological damage and occasional mental regression into his seven-year-old self, Sun. It is definitely a strange and risky concept, and I will admit the constant switching between an adult man and a childlike personality can feel uncomfortable at times. But to the show’s credit, it handles the premise far more carefully than expected. Instead of turning it into something exploitative, the story focuses on the emotional consequences of caregiving, grief, exhaustion, and unconditional love.

Santa absolutely shines here. His ability to switch between Solar and Sun is honestly impressive, and I found myself fully invested in understanding his condition and emotional state. Perth is equally fantastic as Pobmek, especially during the heavier scenes where his frustration, sadness, guilt, and emotional burnout become overwhelming. I started tearing up from the very first episode, and from there the series had me emotionally invested every single week.

The chemistry between Perth and Santa remains one of the show’s biggest strengths. Their relationship feels natural, affectionate, and lived-in, which makes the emotional scenes hurt even more. Flashbacks showing how they met and fell in love help balance the present-day heaviness of the story beautifully.

Another standout for me was Kay Lertsittichai as Jee. It was refreshing seeing him play someone genuinely kind, cheerful, and approachable for once, and he added so much warmth to the school setting.

Visually, the series is one of GMMTV’s strongest-looking productions recently. The colours, costumes, and overall art direction feel vibrant and comforting without losing emotional depth. The school environment actually feels alive rather than just existing as a backdrop. Even the humour blends naturally with the heavier moments instead of ruining the emotional tone.

The soundtrack is also excellent, especially “Written in Our Hearts” (ขีดเขียนเรื่องเรา). Perth’s performance of the song feels incredibly sincere and emotional, and you can genuinely feel the authenticity in the way he sings it.

What makes Love You Teacher stand out is how much it tries to talk about within only ten episodes. Beyond Solar’s condition, the series explores adult friendships, difficult family expectations, emotional insecurity, teacher burnout, children dealing with pressure, and the painful reality of constantly being compared to others. Pobmek’s struggles especially felt relatable because many people grow up feeling pressured to meet expectations that were never truly their own.

At times, the drama probably tries to cover too many themes too quickly, and some conflicts get resolved faster than they realistically should. Still, I appreciated that the series was willing to have these conversations at all. Even with its flaws, the emotional sincerity behind everything remains strong.

I also loved the small finale appearances from Keen Suwijak Piyanopharoj as Thara and Sea Dechchart Tasilp as Wayo as intern teachers. It was a fun little surprise for viewers.

Overall, Love You Teacher is emotional, heartfelt, visually polished, and incredibly bingeable. It is the kind of series that quietly pulls you into its world until you suddenly realise how attached you have become to the characters. The premise may require some suspension of disbelief, but the warmth, performances, and emotional honesty make it worth the ride. For me, this easily became one of the best and most memorable Thai BL dramas of 2026.

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Simple, but It Works

This series’ greatest strength is its simplicity. A lot of anti-hero-centered kdramas have small moments where I genuinely start wondering if they’re successful money-laundering schemes. Regardless, this drama handles superpowers surprisingly well as a plot device. Unlike most series in this genre it doesn't struggle balancing the powers with the storytelling.
However, the writing lacks in other ways. There are quite few "IJBOL" scenes that viewers would’ve found funny ten years ago (where everyone claim kdramas had peaked). Also, I dislike when a huge amount of screen time is given to antagonists (it’s a general kdrama writing issue). I would have prefered learning villains’ motivations through main characters’ povs.
Now, the cast did a decent job with the material they were given. CEW somehow becomes even more stone-faced than he usually is. Meanwhile, PEB’s comedic acting took me some getting used to, but overall she carried the drama alongside the supporting cast. Special kudos to whoever was in charge of the soundtrack selection. One of the highlights of the series was the scene featuring Creep.
I'm recommending this drama to people like me who hardly watch superhero-oriented series.

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A well-crafted story, and executed well for the most part.

This was really good, although I did have problems with the writing and editing in some of the episodes; with the most egregious example being the bomb scene, it's never fully explained just HOW Seong-jun and Seong-hoon got all the hostages out and disabled the bomb, instead we just get them slow-mo aura farming and mogging on In-seong.

I really wish they cut this thing down, I'd say 13 episodes would have been the perfect sweet spot: not too long, not too short and just the right pacing.

But throughout the series itself I do have to commend the cinematography and the sound direction, absolute perfection. And the episodes that DO hit, hit *hard*.

Overall, I'd say that while the drama has its own shortcomings, the good parts still make it enough to warrant at least a try if you're into dark thrillers. I'd say give it at least 4-5 eps before dropping it, which I know is a massive commitment at around 7.5 hours, I believe? But I do believe that the underlying story is genuinely fantastic.

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Character Development was Brilliant

Absolutely love this drama. I'm only on episode 10 (nearing the end). It was a bit confusing in the beginning to see where this was going, but so far I love it. The pacing is fantastic. The story ebbs and flows.

One of my favorite things was the character development for each of the characters. Someone mentioned that there was no clear villain and I believe that's exactly the point. Villains may sometimes not be purely evil, but rather complex humans who make bad decisions as a result of past trauma or hurt egos.

Actors - 10/10. Again with so many potential villains, each actor/actress did a phenomenal job of showing the range of their characters.

Music - this is a bit random, but I love that they chose to rely more on instrumental music than playing the same song with lyrics over and over again. It makes it much easier to watch.

Production value, also 10/10. Set design, costumes, amazing. Visually, it's just beautiful to watch.

10/10, absolutely love it.

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The Beauty of It All

'To the Wonder' is so hauntingly beautiful and different from the rest. The beauty of its simplicity is unparalleled. It makes you want to laugh, to cry, to shout, to scream, to do almost everything, all at once.

In a world where the focus is to do everything faster, with more efficiency, and make more and more and more money, this is a breath of fresh air. We are pulled back into life without such strict constraints and rules beyond recognition. This drama, from the plot to the actors to the setting, everything is beautiful. It isn't an extravagant type of beauty that takes you all at once, forcing you to gape at it in awe; it's the simplicity in itself and in the lifestyle of the people. The contrast between the ever-changing, fast-paced world we live in, and the life of herders and culture. In the mundanity of life, we often forget to appreciate the culture passed down from our ancestors and the self-sufficiency of nature. Our current climate continues taking and taking until the greed becomes insurmountable, yet the destruction is felt by the exact life source we thrive off from.

This is a drama that makes you think. Not a single detail is simply 'there', yet nor is it deliberate – it is representative of real people, real lives, real cultures. What beauty that we live in yet don't feel gratitude towards.

Even if the ending is debated upon by many, I believe it is the best. Happy endings only exist in fiction; reality differs. The humane aspect of this drama is what touches everyone, because it is raw and unfiltered. We can see ourselves in the characters despite living largely different lives. Nothing is easy in life, yet we must move on; even if we stop, the world continues without us, so we must learn to live with the pain of it all, until it no longer aches your soul.

Truly beautiful.

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An alright watch.

I hate the fact that the drama was advertised/classified as a BL because their relationship was portrayed of being really good friends more than lovers.It felt like watching two guys who became best friends (Soulmates) due to their life experiences and they never judged each other's life's choices.Granted Johan was gay while Ryu wasn't exactly sure of himself after he was confessed too by his teammate.I want to say the drama was more of Johan's growth but the stunt he pulled in distancing himself from Ryu the person he truly loved just pissed me off.I hate characters like Johan....who despite being seen in a vulnerable state by the one person whom they truly cherish choose a path that hurts both of them when a life changing event occurs.Ryu on the other hand,did he really find happiness in life cause he quit ice hockey something he did and enjoyed since he was a kid, despite graduating he got a job that was exhausting mentally, emotionally and physically.Then the person who seemed to have a connection with him 'broke up' with him in a disrespectful way then he joins his dad's company and planned to marry someone he wasn't romantically interested in.To be honest Ryu never got his happy ending.

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This Isn’t Romance. It’s Something Deeper.

I don’t think Soul Mate is the kind of drama you “watch” casually. It’s the kind that quietly settles into your chest and stays there long after the final episode ends.

What impressed me most was how emotionally restrained yet deeply intimate it felt. So many dramas try to force emotion through dramatic speeches or constant romance, but Soul Mate trusted silence, distance, longing, guilt, and timing. The connection between Ryu and Johan felt painfully human — two lonely people carrying heavy emotional wounds, finding understanding in each other without always knowing how to express it.

The cinematography was beautiful without feeling artificial, and the atmosphere across Berlin, Seoul, and Tokyo gave the story this drifting, almost dreamlike feeling. There were scenes where barely anything was said, yet I felt everything. The show understands emotional loneliness in a way that many romance dramas don’t.

Hayato Isomura and Ok Taec-yeon gave incredibly layered performances. Their chemistry wasn’t loud or flashy — it was quiet, aching, tender, and believable. I especially appreciated that the story focused more on emotional dependency, healing, grief, and companionship rather than trying to constantly “prove” romance to the audience. That choice will probably divide viewers, but for me, it made the story feel more mature and realistic.

I also loved how flawed everyone felt. Nobody was written as purely good or bad. Every character carried regret, fear, selfishness, and love at the same time. Arata’s storyline especially hit hard and added emotional weight to everything that followed.

My only reason for not giving it a perfect 10 is that the pacing occasionally became a little too restrained, and there were moments where I wanted the emotional tension to fully explode instead of remaining so subtle. Still, when the show landed emotionally, it landed HARD.

Soul Mate is less about labels and more about connection — the kind of bond that changes your life forever, whether the world fully understands it or not. Quietly devastating, deeply comforting, and one of the most emotionally memorable dramas I’ve watched in a long time.

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NaNa Makes Her Move °7.6° °VG°

“Before you catch the killer, figure out how we can get out of this mess. Think about that first.” In S2 we see one of the worst aspects of policing. The team is encouraged to wrap up a serial killer investigation by charging someone whom they believe is the wrong guy. The chief wants the case closed, mostly, because he wants the credit. I remember being taught to respect the police /absolutely/ as a kid. When I learned this was a “thing” I was truly scandalized. But, this IS a thing. The problems the police have now are because they've failed to police themselves. One aspect of that is that some unions have made it near impossible to fire bad actors which will affect the whole department like a rotten apple affects the barrel. In S2, they bludgeon the audience with the level of corruption.

S2 starts in brutal fashion. A man of privilege mounts a savage attack against a woman. She survives, barely. Before ep1 is half way over the gang is running again. They're running men! This time, an enormous wild boar is chasing them. It doesn't look real.

“Have those guys ever listened to us? Just let them do what they want.” The chief gave them a week off, but they're all at their desks, working hard, poring over videos, and ordering delivery. (Apparently, it's “pore-over,” not pour over. The idea is to look so closely that one can see inside the tiny pores). Turns out, they do their best work while on vacation.

Hong Seo Young makes an appearance as the Chief's daughter, Moon Bo Gyeong. Noting that I've seen her in Her Private Life-8, and My Absolute Boyfriend-6.5 already where she plays a dominantfemale. She takes a liking to one of the crew, and the Chief is determined to put the kabosh on that. They further explore the parent/child dynamic by diving into the pain children experience over divorce with the male lead's nephew. It's a thoughtful treatment.

Jung Moon Sung has increased exposure as Woo Tae Ho, a buttoned up corporate animal. His most memorable performances for me to date are in Hospital Playlist-9, where he's a resident under one of the main characters. There, he's the epitome of fawning, needy, goofy, and yearning for relevance. He etched that role so deeply it's hard to see him any other way. He's a great actor. The Cursed-8.3 is a surprise hit in which he plays the cop husband of one of the leads, and that jolted me after his HP performance. By now I know how versatile he is.

Kim Hyo Jin plays his ice queen of a wife, Cheon NaNa. NaNa ends up being a central figure in S2. The character and the actress are quite interesting. She seems to be carrying pain deep within. She was fantastic is Private Lives-8.1, which is a just-for-fun action thriller. I seemed to like it more than most did. She's one of the main reasons why (plus Go Kyung Pyo. He's irresistible). In TGD she's fabulous. She's a ruthless character, but she has such presence and she's so utterly gorgeous that I admired every syllable from her mouth. I have a bit of a girl crush, I think.

This show is good, but maybe it doesn't need to be. I wonder if looking at Jang Seung Jo is enough …🤔 S2 isn't quite as good as S1. They drag it out a touch and some of the drama feels heavily manufactured. It seems to be a case of MAL-content in which they stretched 10 or 12 episodes into 16. Thankfully, it's a mild case. S2 is good, just S1 is better.


QUOTES🗣

This is my smiling face.

Even a miserly pack of wolves can hunt a bear if they work together.

Real men can sleep anywhere.

I thought there was a possibility, but my doubt was greater.

Shazamed: Good Times, by Davey Nate

Age 15+ There's some gore but more than that, disturbing violence against women.

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Too good to be true

After a long time I watched any series while airing … the wait of each and every week for the next episode.. too thrilling. After the first two episode…. I was hooked…maybe also because of the leads..He is like walking God….so tempting…But I liked the storyline most . I loved the bold IU she got what she wanted by hook or crook …she is strong knows how to stand up for herself even in front of her father. They both had great chemistry from the start u can feel the urge for them to get closer. The Queen mother is too elegant to get any hate …The young king is too cute….oHhh what to tell every thing is perfect..

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Strong Cast Wasted by Poor Writing

From the very first episode, the drama felt confused and poorly planned. The biggest problem of the show was the writing — it never felt like the story had a clear direction.

The whole villain arc was weak, pointless, and very badly written. Nothing about it felt interesting or properly developed.

I honestly don’t fully understand what made IU choose this drama. Compared to her usual projects, where she really shines, this role didn’t feel as strong or impactful for her. A lot of the attention the show received also seems to come from IU’s massive popularity and loyal fanbase, rather than the writing itself.

As for Byeon Woo-seok (Lead), I feel like the character writing did not give him much to work with. Most of the time, the same emotions and scenes kept repeating again and again.

Half of the conversations were left unfinished and then shown later in another episode. Doing this once or twice is fine for suspense, but repeating the same writing style in almost every episode became frustrating.

A lot of scenes were just people staring at each other or the lead walking through palace halls every episode, which made the drama feel slow and repetitive.

The only character I actually liked was Gong Seung-yeon (Queen), but because of the weak story, even her character felt wasted in the end.

Overall, the show felt below average and very overhyped for me. I honestly feel like I wasted 12 episodes on this drama.

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